some have asked. I hinted at this earlier: the fact is that their situation is very different.

I have such a hard time understanding all this. It just doesn't make much sense. Throughout history and around the world, people with economic trouble have taken advantage of opportunities to have fewer children. This has helped in mitigating and alleviating poverty. Why do certain demographics in the US today behave in exactly the opposite manner? What is going on here?

We don't know if they want to have kids or not, so for now we can call them "childless."

For the most part, they read manga. That style seems to be wildly popular. I remember a cashier once asking a boy why so many kids liked manga, and he contrasted it with most American comics, but I don't remember exactly what he said. I wonder if the popularity of manga will lead to appreciation of more Western styles. Did the popularity of the latter lead to the former? Besides, some kids/teens read comics as we know them, and I don't know if they will ever die out. The guy who operates Mile High Comics writes columns about this sort of thing, and evidently he's very happy about the prospects for his medium of choice.

Don't you believe they just go to "Heaven" anyway?

According to olivegirl, it's resolved in Canada. Is Canada that different? Maybe so.

You should make a different comparison other than the argument over who killed Christ. That's an easy one: Jesus never existed. www.thegodmovie.com

Of course, try convincing the arguing sides...

If "Heaven" is perfect and eternal, and if the "souls" of the aborted automatically go there, then why is it such a good thing (a "right") to spend time on this planet, where they will surely be less happy than they would in "Heaven," and, more significantly, they will run the risk of jeopardizing their salvation? It's like the story of the missionary and the Inuit:

Inuit: "If I had never heard of Jesus, would God send me to Hell?"

Missionary: "No, that would not be fair."

Inuit: "Then why did you tell me about him?"

Note that I think all of this is idiotic superstitious nonsense. I mention it to point out your own fallacy.

Somebody mentioned that one of their clinic's protesters always looked like he was under the influence of a drug. I think I can name the drug: religion. It stops a thinking mind.

Somebody else referred to this sort of thing happening "since the time of Eve." I hope that was just symbolic. You don't really believe in that, do you?

Do the religious types not believe that the "souls" of the aborted go to a perfect, eternal, "Heaven?"

They're disingenuous. It would be very easy for me to claim that I was abstaining voluntarily, and encourage others to do the same, but I'm too honest for that.

The only people who really believe in free trade are libertarians, both those in the Libertarian Party and outside, like Ron Paul. As always, those in power use the phrase because it sounds good, and it's hard to argue against, because first we have to say "no, this isn't really free trade in any case, it's just free trade for the poor and welfare for the rich..." et cetera.

Obama is a fraud.

...can, and does, have bad consequences for one's mental and physical health. We all should know this by now, by experience or otherwise. That's why I'm not prepared to just say "live and let live."

There do seem to be some creepy, backward trends at Harvard. Georgie Anne Geyer just published a good column about the "Muslim gym time" issue.

Venezuela's revolutionaries seem very intent on improving the situation for the women. And somebody referred to Tunisia as not being wealthy... doesn't their middle class include something like eighty percent of the population?

Hotel has some wonderful songs, and I like all of his live DVDs. In fact, I love the last one, from the Hotel tour. "Slipping Away," "Dream About Me"... exquisite.

Religion Poisons Everything!

Brian Morris, Cynthia McKinney?

... who never asked that question? I don't think I ever asked my parents about any of that, actually. I didn't have much sexual curiosity. I wondered about babies' origin occasionally, but I never asked. I vaguely remember my mother trying to teach me about that stuff by using stuffed penguins and some book, but I didn't put the pieces together (because I didn't bother to try) until I was ten and saw Wayne's World in the theater. I wanted to understand the "Ribbed for her pleasure. Ewwww." joke. I vaguely knew about sex, but I didn't know until then that it led to pregnancy.

This might have had a lot to do with my subsequent history. Hmm...

... to carry around a heavy bag filled with "essential" items. It's not just a gender issue, because some women don't and some men do.